Heat exchanger



c. E. LUCKE HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Sept. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 24, 1931. V E LUCKE 1,833,166

HEAT EXGHANGER Filed Sept. 13. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'I:

i v I j IINVENITOR ATTORNEYG Patented Nov. 24,1931

UNITED STATES P TE T o FIce means a, Loom, or NEW YORK, n. 2,,Assrenon To rial BABCOCK & wzmoox comramz', or BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A conronn'non on mew JERSEY 'nm'r EXCHANGER Application filed September 13, 1928. Serial No. 305,654.

This invention relates to a heat'exchange' .1 device by means of which one-fluid is heated by means of another fluid without permitting the two to come into direct contact with o panying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspectlve View of an illustrative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of some of the 'details; Fig. 3 is a section along the line of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a side view partly broken away showingone of the adjustable vanes; Fig. 5 is a section along the line 55 of Fig. 6 showing some of the details; Fig. 6 is a section along the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a section along the line 77-'of Fig. 8 showing a modification; Fig. 8 is a section along line 88 of 7; Fig. 9 is a section along the line 9--9 of Fig. 10 showing some more of the details; and Fig. 10 is a section along the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

dicates a casing that is preferably made rectangular in cross section. An inlet 2 may be provided at the top of the casing on one side for one fluid and an outlet 3 at the bottom for this fluid. The side inlet 2 is, however, preferably di ensed with, where the conduit leading the ot gases to the heater liesin such a direction that the'hot gases enter the heater parallel to the length of the heater. The other fluid, which is to be heated, may enter atthebottom of the casing parallel to the length of the heater and pass out through an outlet 4 on the side near the top of the casing.

When the heater is in such a positionthat the heating fluid cannot be introduced uniformly over the entrance end so as to enter parallel to the long axis of the heater with the fluid equally distributed, the heating fluid may be introducedthrough the inlet 2 and uniformly distributed by a series of guide vanes 5 which may be'adjustable as shown. The vanes 5 are illustrated as being each located slightly above and to the side of "a lower oneacross the entrance. Each one In the drawings reference character 1 in- 'of the adjustable vanes for the fluid comprises a number of vanes G'attached to a shaft 7 that is provided with a hand wheel 8 so that the vanes 6 can be adjusted to diflerent'angular positions. Other vanes 9 are provided attached to a revoluble sleeve 10 for manually adjusting the vanes 9 into the desired positions around the sleeve-10. The shaft 7 is journaled in the-sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 'is journaled'in hearings on the casing 1..

The vanes 9 are cut away at intervals along one edge to provide spaces for the vanes 6 as most clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.-. These vanes which mayv be fixed, overlap so as to divide the stream of gas into many thin layers and change the direction of each layer independently somewhat like the changing of direction ofsteam by the vanes of steam turbines.

Conduits for guiding the fluids extend 7 through the casing 1. There are two sets of these conduits each long and wide but proportionately quite narrow, more or less of the shape of a board. One set is formed of flat sided long tubes closed at the exit end and open at the inlet end, with the sides close together proportionately. 'The other set is formed by spacing the flat tubes apart in the conduit, so'that the gas enters these conduits at the closed ends of the flat tubes and be-' tween them and at the exit end is diverted by spacing partitions. between the tubes.

Each flat tube (Fig. 2) is made up of a pair of long, wide, thin plates12 joined-at the edges. The joint may be made with closure strips 13 closing the spaces at the upper end and both edges of the plates 12. The strips 13 have their edges bent around into contact with the outside of the plates 12 as indicated at 14 (Fig. 5). Spacers 15are located between the plates 12 and the strips 13 keep the plates 12 pressed firmly into contact with the spacers 15. The strips 13 and spacers 15 along one edge of the plates terminate short of the upper end, thereby leaving side outlet openings 16 for the fluid that is being heated.

The flat tubes are suspended from the top, as for example, by means of lugs '17 attached to the sides of the plates 12 near the edges. The lugs 17 rest upon short brackets in the conduit spaces between the tubes, and these brackets are carried by the supports 18 that may be-attached to the casing 1 to support it. In this way the plates. 12 are under tension due to their weight and they are free to expgzaid downwardly and sidewise, so as not to ome distorted when they are heated, and to permit the use of thin metal to minimize the cost. j

Instead of having the plates 12 held ri 'd- 1y at the edges in pairs to form flat tu s,

same result can be accomplished as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. In this modification semi-rigid strips 18 and 19 are used to join the edges of the plates. These are of U- shape in cross sectlon and held together at the bends, as, for example, by means of rivets .20. The sides are left slightly sepa-' rated to provide spaces into which the edges of the two plates 12 of one flat tube enter so that the strip 18 operates as a spacer and the strip 19 maintains the plates 12 in firm contact with the spacer.

. Thelower ends of the conduits between the flat tubesare provided with spacing strips v21 that extend all the way across and-close the spaces between the flat tubes. The

R spacers or closers 21 are inserted between adj acent flat tubes, as mostclearly indicated in- Fig. 1. The lower ends of the flat tubes are held in contact with the spacers 21 by means of U-shaped semi-rigid strips 22 that are sprung over the ends of the plates 12 of two" .the heater and also it is desirable to avoid'as much as possible any dead spaces where the fluids come to rest or become stagnant, or

# spaces between the flat tubes and passes tween said plates and means'to keep said 130 zones where the flow is not countercurren't. F or this reason both fluidsshould flow as nearly as possible in straight paths from one end of the heater to the other. Bythe present invention both fluids are enabled to enter the heater in straight lines parallel to the length of the heater and for the full width of the plates with only one exception, and this is at the ends of the tubes or of conduits between the tubes where the ases turn to one side toward the exits. T 's cross-flow zone is small and its effect is by? making the plates long in proportion to width. I

The operation is as follows; The heating fluid enters squarely at the top through the straight downwardly to the lower end where it is diverted by the spacers 21 and escapes through .the outlet 3 thereby heating the .have as cheap a construction as possible especially for waste heat recovery on a large 2 scale and this is assured by this invention, first, by uniform distribution of the fluids over the heating surface and countercurrent so it is all equally effective, and, second, b suspension of the plates from the to whic permits use of thin metal and by fiel assembly of plates without shop operations through the rigid and semi-rigid joints provided. These joints also insure the tightness needed to prevent one gas leaking into the other.

I claim:

1. In a heat exchange device, a plurality of flat tubes spaced apart and forming groups of conduits alternately arranged for heating fluid and fluid to be, heated, and means to cause the two fluids to enter their respective conduits parallel to the lengths of said con-. 'duits and flow countercurrent to each other and to emerge at an angle to their lengths.

2. In a heat exchange device, a plurality of flat tubes spaced apart and forming groups of conduits alternately arranged for heating fluid and fluid to be heated, and means to cause the two fluids to enter their respective conduits parallel to the lengths of said conduits, said means including vanes.

3. In a heatexchange device, a plurality offlat tubes spaced apart and formlng groups of conduits alternately arranged for heating fluid and fluid to be heated, and means to cause the two fluids to enter their respective conduits parallel to the lengths ofsaid conduits, said conduits being suspended and permitted to expand downwards. I

4. In a heat exchange device, groups of alternate conduits for heating fluid and fluid to be heated, and means to cause the two fluids to enter their respective conduits parallel to the lengthsv of said conduits, one set of. said conduits being provided with entrances of the Venturi type.

' 5. A conduit for a heat exchanger comprising a pair of plates, a solid spacer between said plates and means to keep said plates contact with said spacer, said means comprislng a resilient element contacting with the outside of said plates and extending along opposite edges of said spacer.

6. A conduit for a heat exchanger comprising a pair of plates, a solid spacer besesame;

plates in contact with said spacer, said means comprising a strip that is U-shaped in cross section, the sides of said strip extending along opposite edges of said spacer.

7. In a heat exchange device, a plurality of flat tubes spaced apart and forming two series of alternate conduits for heating fluid and fluid to bev heated, said conduits being made up of flat plates having joints along the edges thereof made without requiring the material to be machined said joints being left open near the ends of said conduits.

8. Ina heat exchange device, a plurality of flat tubes spaced apart and forming two series of conduits comprising plates suspended from near the upper ends thereof and free to expand downwardly and laterally.

9. In a heat exchanger, a plurality of tubes forming alternate conduits for a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated, and means causing said fluids to enter their respective conduits paralled to the length of said conduits,said means including adjustable vanes.

10. In a heat exchanger, a plurality of members forming parallel passages in groups for segregation of a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated passing therethrough parallel to the length of said conduits, and adjustable vanes for dividing one of the streams of fluid and directing it through said conduits.

11. In a heat exchanger, a plurality of members forming parallel passages in groups for segregation of a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated passing therethrough parallel to the length of said conduits, and adjustable vanes for changing the direction of flow of one of said fluids.

12. In a heat exchanger, a plurality of members forming parallel passages in groups for segregation of a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated passing therethrough parallel to the length of said conduits, and a series of adjustable vanes for changing the direction of flow. i

13. In a heat exchanger, a plurality of members forming groups of parallel passages segregating a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated and in which different fluids enter their respective conduits parallel to the CHARLES E. LUCKE. 

